Shelters

This study explored results from a nationwide survey conducted with homeless youth shelter directors. The research sought to further the understanding of how policy and societal changes about gender affirming access to services have affected service delivery and accommodations at homeless youth shelters for transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) youth. Results from (n = 117) youth shelters indicate the majority of those surveyed are current in implementing many of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) gender affirming policies. Among others, recommendations include a need for shelters to incorporate TGNC safety accommodations, and to update dress code policies from a universal design perspective.

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) developed these FAQs about the coordinated entry (CE) processes specific to working with runaway and homeless youth populations. This document provides guidance for Continuums of Care (CoCs) and youth-serving providers about developing and implementing a CE process that is responsive and developmentally appropriate to the needs of youth.

The ACF Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE) published this brief on the relationships between homelessness, enrollment in early care and education, and young children’s developmental outcomes after they leave emergency shelters. OPRE compared a sample of 925 children, ages 18 months to 59 months, 20 months after staying in emergency shelters with their same-age peers from all socioeconomic levels. The authors used nationally normative childhood developmental measures on developmental delays, school readiness, and behavioral challenges. In addition, the brief uses survey responses by parents to measure continued housing instability following a stay in emergency shelter and child care arrangements used by families during the 20-month period following the shelter stay.

This book chapter describes activities undertaken by Covenant House Toronto to build its capacity to respond to mental health challenges of the young people it serves. Research indicates that 30 to 40 percent of homeless youth experience major depression, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use. Data for Covenent House Toronto show that about 30 percent of the young people in its emergency shelters have a serious mental health concern, including thoughts of suicide. Shelters face numerous challenges in supporting homeless youth with mental health issues, including that youth present with a wide continuum of symptoms, homeless youth tend to access services sporadically over a long period, and many youth workers lack the expertise and skill set necessary to identify and address most mental health concerns. Among the strategies implemented by Covenant House Toronto are: 1) providing mental health care with trained counselors and clinicians in a drop-in setting; 2) increasing staff training opportunities; 3) employing a strengths-based philosophy of care that draws on the notion of resilience; 4) developing partnerships with university-based researchers and mental health professionals; and 5) partnering with mental health organizations that can work directly with youth. The authors recommend that practitioners in other organizations put supports in place that meet youth where they are, secure young peoples basic needs and develop relationships, and establish meaningful partnerships.  

This book chapter describes mindfulness as an intervention approach for homeless youth to improve their mental health. Mindfulness involves bringing attention to what is happening within us and around us in moment-to-moment experiences, without labeling experiences as good or bad. It has been found to be an effective approach for improving well-being among adults and there is increasing support for its use in enhancing regulatory capacities among vulnerable youth populations. Pilot studies that examine whether mindfulness intervention is possible in shelter settings and is acceptable to homeless youth generally find that youth will attend mindfulness training and that those who do may experience important benefits. The chapter begins by describing the general objectives and components of mindfulness-based practice. It then discusses how mindfulness-based programs have been implemented with youth experiencing homelessness and what the outcomes have been. The chapter concludes with key strategies for practitioners to consider in their work with youth accessing homeless services. 

This report describes the Food and Housing Security Among NC State Students Initiative, which was launched in fall 2017. It provides key findings from a survey of a representative sample of NC State students (n=1,949) about food and housing security on statewide campuses. According to survey findings, 14 percent reported low or very low food security over the past 30 days and 9.6 percent experienced homelessness over the last 12 months. The researchers found an overlap between food and housing insecurity: 24 percent of students who had been homeless within the last year had also been food insecure in the last 30 days. The report includes recommendations for resolving food and housing insecurity among college students: 1) establish a permanent advisory council of students, faculty, staff, administrators, and partners; 2) coordinate services through a single point of contact; 3) develop an intentional research agenda; 4) secure funding streams; and 5) raise awareness and conduct ongoing outreach. Other program considerations include helping students access financial resources such as SNAP and FAFSA at the federal level and institution level resources, such as emergency funds and short-term loans. The report includes a list of resources with links to additional information. 

This toolkit provides information about how the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act protects the rights of children and youth to stay in their schools while their families are experiencing homelessness or housing instability. It provides resources to help parents understand their children’s educational rights and whom they can contact at the school system level and how to seek legal representation.

This brief from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides information for youth housing and service providers with an overview of the four key Coordinated Entry (CE) elements: Access, Assessment, Prioritization, and Referral. The CE process provides youth who are experiencing homelessness better access to the housing and services best suited for them. This brief outlines the main considerations for CE processes specifically for youth, key decisions points within the process, and community examples of coordinated entry for youth.

This brief, from the ACF Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), examines whether families experiencing homelessness are connected to the benefits and services of the social safety net. Using data from the Family Options Study, researchers found these families were participating in TANF cash assistance, publicly funded health insurance programs (e.g. Medicaid, CHIP, or other state-funded programs), and SNAP at similar or higher rates than other poor families in the same communities. One exception was WIC where recently homeless families participated at lower rates compared with other families. Twenty months after being in a shelter, most families were no longer homeless but remained poor and continued receiving public benefits. Furthermore, families with recent episodes of homelessness enrolled their preschoolers in early education or center-based care at higher rates than all children in families below the poverty line.

This report reviews the status of current law in all 50 states and 6 territories related to 13 key issues that affect the lives of unaccompanied youth who experience homelessness. It offers an overview of the range of approaches taken by states since the last update in 2012, and the relative prevalence of these approaches. Key findings include: 1) Many jurisdictions lag behind in implementing changes to federal law that strengthen access to education for youth experiencing homelessness; 2) Punitive approaches to unaccompanied youth are prevalent in many jurisdictions; 3) Definitions of unaccompanied youth often fail to be inclusive, developmentally appropriate, and nonjudgmental; 4) Many jurisdictions authorize or require provision of health care, education, and other services to unaccompanied youth even in the absence of parental consent; and 5) Most jurisdictions provide youth with some ability to act on their own behalf. This collaborative publication from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty and the National Network for Youth recommends policy changes to help protect the safety, development, health, and dignity of youth experiencing homelessness, and thus increase their prospects for positive future outcomes. (author abstract modified)